Film-magazine for motion-picture machines.



C. S. WEBSTER.

FILI/I MAGAZINE FOR IvIoIIoIII PICTURE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILEDAMAR. 29, 1918. Y 1,297,049, Patented Mar. 11, 1919.'

CARL S. WEBSTER, OI' HAVEBHILI, MASSACHUSETTS.

FILM-MAGAZINE FOR MOTION-I"ICTURE MACHINES.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 11, A1919.

Application led March 29, 1918. Serial No. 225,555.

T o all 'whom it may concern: Be it-known that I, CARL S. WEBSTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Haverhill, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, useful Improvements inFilm-Magazines for Motion-Picture Machines, of which the following is a specication.

.This invention relates `to apparatus adapted to project motion pictures, the film strip employed being an endless band, the major portion of which is stored in a magazine from one end of which the film is drawn and guided to the projection apparatus of the machine, opposne endvof the magazine and stored in the magazine in numerous loose bights or folds.

The chief objects of the invention are as follows:

First, to prevent Contact of the intermediate picture-bearing portion of the film with any surfaces liable to scratch the said portion, only the edge portions of the films contacting with the means provided for guiding the film in its progressive movement.

Secondly, to provide means for lubrieating the lm within the magazine, and thus prevent liability of scratching the intermediate portion thereof by rubbing contact between the bights or folds of the film.

Thirdly, to provide means for guarding that portion of the endless band of film which is outside the magazine when the magazine is removed from the apparatus for storage or shipment, the magazine being removably attached to the casing of the appa ratus so that it may be transferred from one casing to another.

T o these and other related ends the inven- 1 ion is embodied in the improvements which l will now proceed to describe and claim.

F iofure 1 is a side view of a magazine embodying the invention.

` Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Flg. 1. i

Fig. '3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1,

looking downwardly.

Figri4is a section on line 4 -4 of Fig. 3.- Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig.' '6' is a fragmentary perspective .view

vshowing portions of the magazine.

- The. same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

Myimprovedmagazine is embodied in a rectangular box Vhaving opposite spaced have invented .new and..

the film being returned to theapart side walls 12 and 13, top and bottom walls 14 and 15, and end walls 16 and 17.

'Ifhe side walls 12 and 13 are spaced apart .a dlstance slightly exceeding the width of a film strip 18, said strip being of indeterminate length and having its ends connected to form an endless band. The end wall 16 A I is provided with a horizontal slot 19 (Figs. 1 and 4) constituting a lm inlet, and the end wall 17 is provided with a horizontal slot 20 (Figsi land 2) constituting a film d outlet. l

lThe edge portions of the film strip are provided as' usual, with orifices to engage the teeth of 'feed rollers 21, 22, arranged in palrs, the rollers 21 being adjacent to the slot 19', and the rollers 22 adjacent to the slot 20. These rollersl are continuously dr1ven by any suitable mechanism, not shown, the rollers 21 acting to force the lm into the magazine while the rollers 22 act to withdraw the film from the opposite end of the magazine.

Associated with the slots 19 and 20 are film. guides adapted to contact with only the perforate edge portions of opposite sides of the film and maintairi'the intermediatel slot 19, as here shown, include a fixed arm l or block 23, attached to and projecting outwardly from the end wall 16 below the slot 19, and provided with spaced apart raised faces24 (Fig. 4) and a depressed intermediate face25. The faces 24 constitute guide members for the edge portions of the film. Narrow metal arms 26 attached to the end wall 16 and projecting over the raised faces 24constitute complemental guide members for the edge portions ofthe film.

By. reference to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the guide members 24 and 26 maintain the intermediate portion of the film out of contact with the sides of the'slot v19. `The arms 26, one of which is shown broken away4 in Fig. 3, are provided with slots 27 to receive the teeth of the wheels 21.

Thel guides associated with `the slot 2 0, as here shown, are formed by U-shaped shoes 28, attached, as 'shown by Figs. 2 and 5, to the end Wall 17, the necky portions of said shoesV extending through the slot 20,.

and in effect reducing the width of the end portions of the slot, the edge portions of the film 18 contacting with said shoes, while the intermediate portion is maintained out of contact with the sides of the slot 20, as best shown by Fig. 2.

The magazine 'is provided internally with spaced apart tracks 29, adapted to contact with the edge portions of one sideof the film, and maintain the intermediate portion of said side out of contact with the magazine. narrow marginal portions oset inwardly from the end Walls 16 and 17, and from the top and bottomy walls 14 and 15.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the trac'ks 29 are arranged to bear 'on edge portions of the bights or loops of -the film within the magazine, the intermediate portions of said bights or folds being free from contact with the magazine, so that said intermediate portions cannot be scratched by contact with fixed guiding surfaces. tration, I havey shown the tracks 29 as cleats i or'strips attached to the end walls and the top and bottom walls of the magazine. It

is obvious, however, that said tracks may be integral with the said Walls, and that the walls and tracks may be formed from pressed sheet steel, or other metal. v

The slots 19 and 20 extend through the track portions or members on the end walls 16 and 17, portions of thel shoes 28 being attached to said track members, as indicated by Figs. 2 and 5.

30 represents a reservoir attached t0 the magazine and located below the bottom lwall thereof, said reservoir being adapted gto maintain a charge of a suitable volatile oil, such as eucalyptus oil, the vapor of which lis adapted to lubricate the bights or folds ofthe film. The chief object of this lubrication is to maintain the film in a flexible condition and prevent it from becoming brittle and cracking at its abruptly bent portions. A The lubrication also prevents liability of injury of the surfaces of the films by rubbing contact of the bights with each other, and enables the edge portions of the film to slide easily on the tracks 29. The volatile oil may be contained in an absorbent body 31, such as a body of felt inserted in the reservoir 30. The reservoir communicates with the interior of the magazine through orifices 32 in the bottom wall 15, so that the oil vapor may rise from the reservoir into the magazine.

When the film is in use, a portion of it is conducted by suitable guide rollers across thehead of the motion-picture machine, in a well known manner. .When it is desired to transfer the film from one machine or.

apparatus to another, this may be accom- The said tracks, as here shown, are- For the sake of simplicity of-illusplished by detaching the magazine from the machine caslr and trans erring it to another casing, the magazine being pro-4 'indicated by the reference numeral 18a in Fig. 1, which remains outside the magazine is inserted between portions of the exterior of the magazine and a guard 34 which is attached at 35 to a suitable support, such as the reservoir 30, and projects across the under side of the magazine. The guard 34 may be provided with upstanding end porltions 34"L (Fig. 1), spaced from the end Walls of the magazine. When the magazine is removed from the casing, the film is disenvgaged from the feed rolls 21 and 22, and inserted as indicated by the dotted line por- I tion 18El (Figs. 1 and 2) in the space between the guard 34 and the adjacent surface of the magazine. When the magazine is inserted in another casing, the portion 18a of the film is withdrawn from the guard and the film is engaged with the feed rolls 21 and 22 of the apparatus to which the magazine is transferred.

The side wall 12 is preferably of glass, and removably connected with the body of the magazine by suitable means, such as buttons 36. The tracks 29 are preferably provided with smooth surfaces such as may be produced by applying varnish to said tracks.

I claim:

1. A film magazine formed internally to store and guide an elongated motion picture film in loose bights, and having slots constituting a film inlet and a film outlet, respectively, spaced apart film guides associated with said slots and adapted to contact with the edge portions of opposite sides of the film, and maintain the intermediate portions of the film sides out of contact with the sides of the slots, and spaced apart tracks within the magazine adapted to contact with the edge portions of one side of the film and maintain the intermediate portion ofv said side o ut of contact with the magazine.

2. A film magazine formed internally to store and guide an elongated motion picture film in loose bights, said reservoir having opposed arallel side walls spaced apart a distance sllghtly exceeding the width of the film, and 'constituting guides for the opposite edges thereof, and narrow internal spaced apart tracks adjoining the side walls and arranged to bear on the edge portions of one side of the film, and maintain the intermediate portion of the film out of contact with the reservoir, the reservoir beingy mediate portion of the film out of Contact with the reservoir, the magazine being provided with a slot constituting a film inlet and with external guides arranged to bear on edge portions of the 'opposite sides of the film and maintain the intermediate portions of the film sides out of contact with thel sides of said slot.

4. A film magazine formed internally to store and guide an elongated motion picture film in loose bights, said reservoir having opposed'parallel side walls spaced apart a distance sligthly exceeding'the width of the film, and constituting guides for the opposite edges thereof, and narrow internal spaced apart tracks adjoining the side walls and arranged to bear on the edge portions of one side of' the film, and maintain the intermediate portion of the film out of contact with.

the reservoir, the magazine being provided with a slot constituting a lm outlet and having relatively narrow end portions formed to bear on edge portions of the opposite sides of the film, and aY wider intermediate portion out of contact with the intermediate portions of the film sides.

5. A film magazine formed internally to store and guide an elongated motion picture film 1n loose bights, said reservoir having opposed parallel side walls spaced apart a dlstance slightly exceeding the width of the film and constituting guides for the op osite edges thereof, and intermediate wal s including end walls and top and bottom walls, each provided with oEset marginal portions constituting inwardly projecting spaced apart tracks adjoining the side walls and arranged to bear on the edge portions of one side of the film and maintain the intermediate portion of the film out of contact with. A

the intermediate walls, the magazine being provided with a film inlet and with a fllmoutlet.

6. A film magazine formed internally to store and guide an elongated motion pic ture film in loose bights, and having a wall provided with a film slot constituting a film outlet, and with U-shaped shoes contracting the width of the end portions of the slot, and adapted to bear onedge portions of opposite sides of the film, the intermediate portions of the film sides being maintained by said shoes out of Contact with the intermediate portion of the slot.

7. A film magazine formed internally to store and guide an elongated motionl pic ture film in loose bights, and having a Wall provided with a film slot, and a reservoir communicating with the magazine and adapted to contain a volatile oil to supply a lubricating vapor to the film.

8. A filml magazine formed internally to 4 store and guide an elongated motion picture film in loose bights, and provided with film slots, said magazine having an external guard for a portion of the lm.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

CARL S. WEBSTER. 

